


Playing for Keeps

by CeleritasSagittae



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Bechdel Test Pass, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 10:50:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17806613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeleritasSagittae/pseuds/CeleritasSagittae
Summary: Harding and Charter catch up after the Inquisitor has finished her business in the Western Approach.





	Playing for Keeps

**Author's Note:**

  * For [veridium_bye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/veridium_bye/gifts).



> Original prompt was "A nice friend fic of two of my favorite NPCs. Interpret and stage how you wish, I just want there to be fluffy friendship and crass humor." Not sure how well I managed on the crass humor, but I think I got the friend part down?

The Herald's Rest was like a valley full of cicadas, if cicadas had speech people could understand.  Not that Harding could understand a word of what they were saying, with all the Inquisition's people clamoring over one other, echoing round, till it all blended together into a single droning _buzz_ and you couldn't tell where any particular voice came from.

Hence the cicadas.

She'd be alarmed, not being able to listen to her surroundings, but fortunately, she was off duty (for once!) and the Inquisition hired only the best.  And besides, people-places weren't exactly her skill set, anyway. So, Harding closed her eyes and let the sounds of _life_ wash around her before making her very careful way up the stairs.

She was halfway to the first floor when a voice managed to rise above the others--"Hey, luv, when are you going to get round to that archery contest?"

Oh, _damn_.  Of _course_ she'd forgotten something.  "Sorry!" she called out.  "Too busy!"

The second floor, at least, was comparatively quiet--and smelled cleaner.  She scanned the room for her target, and found her sitting at one of the middle tables, looking entirely at home and unconcerned with the world.

No wonder she was one of the Nightingale's best agents.

Harding plunked the two mugs she was carrying on the table and offered her her warmest smile.  " _Spill_."

Charter reached across for the mug and pulled it to her, raising an eyebrow.  " _No_.  The ale here isn't the _best_ I've ever tasted, but it's a sight better than most."

"Hah!  I see what you did, there!  A whole _Keep_ , though--you can't tell me you aren't at least a _little_ excited."

"It's _work_ ," Charter replied.  " _Satisfying_ work, true, but still work."

"Right--you're doing that thing when you pretend you're allergic to fun again, aren't you?"

She snorted and took a draught of her ale.  " _Someone_ 's got to get the other agents back in line.  Easier to manage when they think they're getting away with it."

"I guess that means you're out of the Diamondback league, then?"

" _Never_.  You, of course, will have a bye on standby when it moves to Crestwood.  And--speaking of, anything I need to know about the region?"

Harding shrugged and drank.  "Weather-proof your cloak if you haven't done it lately?  The Inquisitor's already taken care of the undead, and you've been briefed on the Mayor situation.  The apothecary outside the town's kind of cute?"

"Good to know."

"Oh!  And there's a dragon.  Adaar's supposed to put a team together and take it out eventually, but... in the meantime you may not want to get too close."

" _Or_ I could leak to the spies we've identified that no, the route's perfectly safe, the dragon was already defeated but we haven't had time to move guards into place..."

Harding managed not to grimace.  "It's their funeral."

Charter raised her mug in a mock toast.  "So, where are you headed next?"

"The Western Approach--Adaar wants to follow up on the Warden's lead while it's still hot.  So... I get to be hot, too!"

"You _do_ realize you don't have to travel to the desert to be hot?  There _are_ easier ways."

Harding laughed.  "Hush, you!  I _knew_ I was setting you up for that the moment I said it."

"Then you have no one to blame but yourself," Charter said, raising an eyebrow.

"Speaking of, though--have you spoken to her yet?"

"Spoken to _who_?"

Harding rolled her eyes.  "You know, the agent you worked with on that last mission, the one who works with the Te--"

"Her name is _Tessa_ , which I'm sure you already knew, and _no_ , I haven't, thanks for asking."

It was as clear a sign of encouragement as Harding had ever got.  "But that's perfect!  Now you have a deadline!  You ask her out before you ship out to Crestwood, if she says yes, then you have something to look forward to!  If she _doesn't_ , you have a keep to distract you!"

"And, once again, you manage to distill complicated circumstances into a few sentences that manage to make _me_ look like a fool, because _you_ stripped out all the nuance."

"You said it!  But I really don't think it's that complicated."

"She didn't show a sign of interest during the mission, Harding."

"That's because she's a professional.  Like _you_.  For all we know, she's pining away for you two floors down.  In fact, if you'd like me to check--"

"No!!  No, _thank_ you, and I believe you were asking about that keep?  It's a sign of the Nightingale's trust in me, I'm very honored, and there's a lot we're going to be able to do with its resources at our disposal.  _Yes_ , I'm excited.  Are you happy?"

"Well..."

Charter _glared_ at her from across the rim of her mug.

"Okay, fine, fine!  Do what you want, obviously.  But if you _need_ me for moral support--"

"No."

"Good."  Harding drained her mug.  "So, I should start sending the 'unfortunate plant of the week' sketches to Crestwood..."

"Two weeks from now.  But just keep sending them to Skyhold--the Nightingale usually likes to add her own notes before she passes them on to the rest of us.  I think it makes her smile."

"It does?  That's so good to hear!"  She stood up.  "Thanks, Charter--enjoy your keep!"

Charter nodded and raised her mug.

"And Maker's sake, _talk to her_!"

The sound of the inn swallowed any reply the elf might have made, but Harding left the Rest with a broad smile on her face.  She'd joined the Inquisition expecting to find a lot of new things.  What she hadn't expected to find at the time was a friend.


End file.
